Chemical pneumonitis

Chemical pneumonitis is inflammation of the lungs or breathing difficulty due to inhaling chemical fumes or breathing in and choking on certain chemicals.

Causes:

Many household and industrial chemicals can produce both an acute and a chronic form of inflammation in the lungs.

Some of the most common dangerous, inhaled substances include:

Chlorine gas (which are breathed in from cleaning materials such as chlorine bleach, during industrial accidents, or near swimming pools)

Grain and fertilizer dust

Noxious fumes from pesticides

Smoke (from house fires and wildfires)

Chronic chemical pneumonitis can occur after only low levels of exposure to the irritant over a long time. This causes inflammation and may lead to stiffness of the lungs. As a result, the lungs start to lose their ability to get oxygen to the body. Untreated, this condition can cause respiratory failure and death.

Chronic aspiration of acid from the stomach and exposure to chemical warfare can also lead to chemical pneumonitis.